2012 Formula One Season
]] Sebastian Vettel]] The 2012 Formula One Season is the 63rd and current season of Formula One. It will be the penultimate year of 2.4 litre V8 engines, which are due to be replaced in 2014 with 1.6 litre V6 turbo engines. This season marks the return of the United States Grand Prix, with the race due to held in Austin, Texas. In 2013, there will also be another Grand Prix to be held in America - this will be the American Grand Prix, which is to take place at Port Imperial Street Circuit in New Jersey. Sebastian Vettel is defending the driver's championship crown, while his team Red Bull defends the constructors title. Fernando Alonso of leads Mark Webber in the championshp by 40 points. Webber's team, , leads the constructor's championship by 53 points, ahead of . Teams and Drivers Entry List For the 2012 season, 24 cars (numbered 1-25, excl. 13) are competing, the same number as in 2011. Of the 24 drivers, six have won at least one Formula One World Championship (Vettel, Alonso, Button, Hamilton, Schumacher and Räikkönen), one more than in 2011, and once again an all-time record. All engines are 2.4 litre V8s. Car Launch Dates Notes: * Pictures of Caterham's car, the CT01, were leaked online on January 25th, as deliveries of the magazine they launched it with (F1 Racing) arrived a day before the official launch date. * Ferrari were due to launch their new car in Maranello, but there was a large amount of snow in the town, so it was be launched online instead. Driver Changes Reserve means test or third driver * Jaime Alguersauri: Toro Rosso (driver) → Pirelli * Jérôme d'Ambrosio: Virgin (driver) → Lotus (reserve) * Rubens Barrichello: Williams (driver) → IndyCar * Sébastien Buemi: (driver) → Red Bull (reserve) / (reserve) * Pedro de la Rosa: McLaren (reserve) → HRT (driver) * Romain Grosjean: GP2 / Renault (reserve) → Lotus (driver) * Nico Hülkenberg: Force India (reserve) → (driver) * Vitantonio Luizzi: HRT (driver) → i1 Super Series / (reserve) * Vitaly Petrov: Renault (driver) → Caterham * Charles Pic: GP2 → Marussia (driver) * Kimi Räikkönen: World Rally Championship / → (driver) * Daniel Ricciardo: (driver) / (reserve) / (reserve) → (driver) * Bruno Senna: (driver) → (driver) * Adrian Sutil: (driver) → no drive * Jarno Trulli: Lotus (driver) → no drive * Jean-Éric Vergne: (reserve) → (driver) Team Changes * Three teams changed names: ** Lotus will change to Caterham. ** Renault will change to Lotus. ** Virgin will change to Marussia. * Williams will stop using Cosworth engines and begin using Renault engines. Calendar Race Schedule Calendar Changes * Races not on the 2011 Calendar: ** The Bahrain Grand Prix returned after the 2011 race was postponed, and then cancelled, after the Arab Spring made the race a severe danger. Despite the violence in Bahrain having not subsided, the 2012 race went ahead as planned. ** The United States Grand Prix returns for the first time since 2007. * Race on the 2011 Calendar but not on the 2012 Calendar: ** The Turkish Grand Prix could not negiotiate a renewed contract with Formula One Management (FOM), and as a result was not placed on the 2012 calendar. * Circuit changes: ** The German Grand Prix switched back to the Hockenheimring from the Nürburgring, to continue the race's policy of switching between the two circuits. * Schedule changes: ** Note: These do not include changes from the provisional calendar. ** The Bahrain Grand Prix returns as the fourth round (taking Turkey's place), meaning that the Australian Grand Prix is once again the season opener. ** The United States Grand Prix is placed as the nineteeth round. ** As a result, the Brazilian Grand Prix is still the final round of the championship, but as round twenty. * Disputes: ** The United States Grand Prix has had monetary problems and the circuit may not be completed on time, although these fears have died down slightly. ** The Bahrain Grand Prix, as mentioned above, caused extreme protests. ** The European Grand Prix organisers have written to Bernie Ecclestone, stating that the race may not be financially viable. The organisers of the Spanish Grand Prix have expressed similar concerns. Both races took place. Changes Car Design Changes * The height of the nose of the Front Wing has been reduced from 625mm to 550mm (a change of 75mm, or 7.5 cm). * Exhausts must exit the bodywork upwards in a periscope manner. It must also have an internal diameter of 75mm. This is so the teams cannot take advantage of off-throttle blown diffusers for extra downforce. The operating temperatures of the exhausts are likely to fall by about 200°C from 2011. * Exotic engine maps have also been banned, with more conventional ones put in place. * The use of helium in air guns have been banned, for being too expensive for the competitive gain. * The re-active ride-height system developed by Lotus has been banned as "any aerodynamic effect created by the suspension should be incidental to its primary function" and "any device that influences the car's aerodynamics must remain immobile in relation to the spring part of the car". Other Regulation Changes * There will be tougher side impact crash testing, and all new cars must pass all the required FIA crash tests prior to any on-track testing.Rules and regulations - 2012 season changes. The Official F1 Website. * All lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves under the safety car, ensuring a clean re-start without slower cars impeding those racing for the leading positions. * Drivers may no longer leave the track without a justifible reason, and drivers may no longer move back onto the racing line having moved off it to defend a position. * There will be a maximum race time of four to ensure that a lengthly suspension of a race does not result in a race that could run up to eight hours if left unregulated. Cars in the pit lane when the race was suspended will be allowed to re-join the cars on the grid in the position they were at the line of the race suspension. * A three-day test session will be carried out during the season, in addition to the pre-season testing. Previously, mid-season testing away from track meetings was not allowed. * All tyres allocated to a driver may now be used on the first day of practice. Formerly only three sets were permitted on the opening day of the Grand Prix weekend. Results and Standings Testing Results |Grid2=Jenson Button |Grid2nation=GBR |Grid2team= |Grid3=Romain Grosjean |Grid3nation=FRA |Grid3team= |winner=Jenson Button |winnernation=GBR |winnerteam= |2nd=Sebastian Vettel |2ndnation=GER |2ndteam= |3rd=Fernando Alonso |3rdnation=ESP |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Jenson Button |FastestLapnation=GBR |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:29.187 |FastestLapnumber=56 }} |Grid2=Jenson Button |Grid2nation=GBR |Grid2team= |Grid3=Michael Schumacher |Grid3nation=GER |Grid3team= |winner=Fernando Alonso |winnernation=ESP |winnerteam= |2nd=Sergio Pérez |2ndnation=MEX |2ndteam= |3rd=Lewis Hamilton |3rdnation=GBR |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Kimi Räikkönen |FastestLapnation=FIN |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:40.722 |FastestLapnumber=53 }} |Grid2=Michael Schumacher* |Grid2nation=GER |Grid2team= |Grid3=Kamui Kobayashi |Grid3nation=JPN |Grid3team= |winner=Nico Rosberg |winnernation=GER |winnerteam= |2nd=Jenson Button |2ndnation=GBR |2ndteam= |3rd=Lewis Hamilton |3rdnation=GBR |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Kamui Kobayashi |FastestLapnation=JPN |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:39.960 |FastestLapnumber=40 }} |Grid2=Lewis Hamilton |Grid2nation=GBR |Grid2team= |Grid3=Mark Webber |Grid3nation=AUS |Grid3team= |winner=Sebastian Vettel |winnernation=GER |winnerteam= |2nd=Kimi Räikkönen |2ndnation=FIN |2ndteam= |3rd=Romain Grosjean |3rdnation=FRA |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Sebastian Vettel |FastestLapnation=GER |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:36.379 |FastestLapnumber=41 }} |Grid2=Fernando Alonso |Grid2nation=ESP |Grid2team= |Grid3=Romain Grosjean |Grid3nation=FRA |Grid3team= |winner=Pastor Maldonado |winnernation=VEN |winnerteam= |2nd=Fernando Alonso |2ndnation=ESP |2ndteam= |3rd=Kimi Räikkönen |3rdnation=FIN |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Romain Grosjean |FastestLapnation=FRA |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:26.250 |FastestLapnumber=53 }} |Grid2=Nico Rosberg |Grid2nation=GER |Grid2team= |Grid3=Lewis Hamilton |Grid3nation=GBR |Grid3team= |winner=Mark Webber |winnernation=AUS |winnerteam= |2nd=Nico Rosberg |2ndnation=GER |2ndteam= |3rd=Fernando Alonso |3rdnation=ESP |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Sergio Pérez |FastestLapnation=MEX |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:17.296 |FastestLapnumber=49 }} |Grid2=Lewis Hamilton |Grid2nation=GBR |Grid2team= |Grid3=Fernando Alonso |Grid3nation=ESP |Grid3team= |winner=Lewis Hamilton |winnernation=GBR |winnerteam= |2nd=Romain Grosjean |2ndteam= |2ndnation=FRA |3rd=Sergio Pérez |3rdteam= |3rdnation=MEX |FastestLapdriver=Sebastian Vettel |FastestLapnation=GER |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:15.752 |FastestLapnumber=70 }} |Grid2=Lewis Hamilton |Grid2nation=GBR |Grid2team= |Grid3=Pastor Maldonado |Grid3nation=VEN |Grid3team= |winner=Fernando Alonso |winnernation=ESP |winnerteam= |2nd=Kimi Räikkönen |2ndnation=FIN |2ndteam= |3rd=Michael Schumacher |3rdnation=GER |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Nico Rosberg |FastestLapnation=GER |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:42.163 |FastestLapnumber=54 }} |Grid2=Mark Webber |Grid2nation=AUS |Grid2team= |Grid3=Michael Schumacher |Grid3nation=GER |Grid3team= |winner=Mark Webber |winnernation=AUS |winnerteam= |2nd=Fernando Alonso |2ndnation=ESP |2ndteam= |3rd=Sebastian Vettel |3rdnation=GER |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Kimi Räikkönen |FastestLapnation=FIN |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:34.661 |FastestLapnumber=50 }} |Grid2=Sebastian Vettel |Grid2nation=GER |Grid2team= |Grid3=Michael Schumacher§ |Grid3nation=GER |Grid3team= |winner=Fernando Alonso |winnernation=ESP |winnerteam= |2nd=Jenson Button** |2ndnation=GBR |2ndteam= |3rd=Kimi Räikkönen |3rdnation=FIN |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Michael Schumacher |FastestLapnation=GER |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:18.725 |FastestLapnumber=57 }} |Grid2=Romain Grosjean |Grid2nation=FRA |Grid2team= |Grid3=Sebastian Vettel |Grid3nation=GER |Grid3team= |winner=Lewis Hamilton |winnernation=GBR |winnerteam= |2nd=Kimi Räikkönen |2ndnation=FIN |2ndteam= |3rd=Romain Grosjean |3rdnation=FRA |3rdteam= |FastestLapdriver=Sebastian Vettel |FastestLapnation=GER |FastestLapteam= |FastestLap=1:24.136 |FastestLapnumber=68 }} Notes: * * : Lewis Hamilton ( ) set the second fastest time in qualifying, but was penalised five places for a gearbox change prior to the weekend. * † : Lewis Hamilton ( ) set pole, but was excluded from qualifying because of a technical infringement. * ‡ : Michael Schumacher ( ) set the fastest time in qualifying in the final session, but had a five-place grid penalty. * § : Mark Webber qualified third, but received a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. * ** : Sebastian Vettel finished second, but received a twenty second penalty for an illegal overtake on Jenson Button on lap 66. Standings Points system: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1 from first to tenth. Drivers on equal points are separated by number of first places, then by number of second places if on equal number of first places and so on. Driver Placings * Did not finish, but completed over 90% of the race-winner's distance and was classified. Constructor Placings Statistics Correct as of the 2012 Hungarian Grand Prix Sources: Manipe F1 Stats Centre - 2012 Season Manipe F1 - 2012 Standings Drivers Constructors Notes Category:Formula One Seasons Category:2012 Formula One Season